Category Archives: Boat

Hull Numbering the Easy Way – Applying sticky Things!

We have written in another website article where to source computer cut vinyl hull numbers. (I used “Vinyl Letters Ltd”).

There’s a trick to putting them on. See below.

For the IOM, and I think all the international classes, the minimum height allowed is 20mm. The numbers arrive on a strip about 25mmx80mm, nicely spaced and so on – which for our application is irrelevant. They were only about £2.50 a strip, so I ordered two strips, assuming I would wreck at least one number.

Honestly, I didn’t think the four digits would fit around the curve. I cut the strip into individual numbers and worked it that way.

Now you know the “hack”, do you?? Wet the surface first, before applying the letters, with a mild soapy solution – water and dishwashing liquid. You don’t want neat fairy liquid, but when you smear it on the surface if to the naked eye it runs off, then it’s too weak. Add a few more drops of soap to the mix and try again. Eventually your smear will stay on the surface.

Then one character at a time, sticky side down, you’ll find you can attach them and slide them around to get them in the desired place. Then just leave them to dry out. Hopefully you’ll find them 100% stuck on.

Vague Feeling Rudder ?? Plus Storing Your Rudder Ready for Travel !!

I was chatting to a fellow member the other day who felt his steering and rudder did not feel quite “right”. Upon close examination, it was just that the clamping screw where the shaft goes in to the steering arm was not gripping well. Have you looked at yours?

It may be perfectly cylindrical and nice and shiny – bad for clamp screws!!

Ideally the shaft should have a little flat bit where the clamp screw bites. Can you see it in this photo above? If you don’t have a ‘flat’, possibly a little patience with a flat file would fix it.

This subject introduced me to the whole topic of “do you take the rudder off to travel?” I must admit, in the boot of the car I don’t bother. However, any more ambitious travel and you might want to take both the fins out. I attach a great (short) video below of how this works on a K2 IOM, how to get your fingers in, what angle is best to held the boat when you do it etc. They use a little retainer spring in there too – clever.

Putting Your Hull Number on Your New Marblehead?

One of my IOM colleagues, Peter, pointed me to this website today to design and buy hull numbers:-

https://www.vinylletteringonline.co.uk/lettering-designer

Peter also found this website in Italy:-

https://www.aa-parts.com/en/attrezzatura-di-coperta/attrezzatura-scafo/accessori/numero-di-registro-scafo-numero-velico.html